


It's Only Okay If It's You

by AgentOklahoma



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 11:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOklahoma/pseuds/AgentOklahoma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A game of Hide and Seek in Monteriggioni leads to Desmond and Shaun becoming something more than friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Only Okay If It's You

“Shaun?”

The British historian turned from his makeshift desk, halfway through taking a sip of his tea, looking at Lucy who seemed rather worried.

“Yeah? What’s up?” Shaun asked, setting his mug down on his desk. He’d been working for...he didn’t know how many hours. That was probably an indication that looking away from his computer screen was a very welcome thing.

“Desmond’s starting to lose synch with Ezio. Rebecca thinks it’s from being plugged in so much these past couple of weeks. Can I ask a favour and have you take him out for a run or something? Just around Monterrigioni,” Lucy asked. Shaun bit back the insult just sitting on the tip of his tongue but stopped when he looked over at the prone man lying in the Animus. There were dark bags marring the now far paler skin under his eyes. And he’d lost weight. With all the fat jokes the group made, Desmond hadn’t eaten properly in days, usually having eaten in the Animus, his brain tricking him into thinking he didn’t need to eat. Shaun sighed in resignation, nodding a little as he took another sip of tea.

“I’ll start uploading plans and info we collected. It should take a couple of hours. Enough time to take our little novice assassin out for walkies,” Shaun teased, typing quickly to start the process while Rebecca pulled Desmond from the Animus. Desmond blinked blearily for a moment, looking around the room before something in his eyes lit up in recognition. Although it happened, it took far too long for Shaun’s liking. The time between seeing something and remembering what it was or even where he was kept lengthening and even though Shaun picked on Desmond, it didn’t mean he wanted this for him.

“Wh-What’s going on? I was just about to finish,” Desmond said, referring to his most recent moderate level mission. Shaun watched the way Desmond moved, more fluidly than he used to, shifting like he was going to crouch down and pounce on whatever moved in the room. 

“You’ve been going at it too long. We’re getting you out for some proper physical training. You’ll be going out with Shaun for some agility and stealth testing,” Lucy said. A complete fib. She just wanted to keep him from going insane but lying seemed like a way of keeping Desmond from worrying.

“Oh. Okay,” Desmond said, believing it without question. At least from what Shaun saw. The young assassin slipped out of the Animus and approached Shaun, looking a little too much like a big-cat for Shaun’s liking. He was always a little more comfortable in his skin after being pulled from Ezio’s memories and it was a little unnerving. They’d all watched the display while Desmond was under. They saw what his ancestors were capable of. Ezio knew the required skills of an assassin just on instinct. Lethal as soon as he was able to hold a knife straight. Spending so much time in Ezio’s head was worrying enough but before...at Abstergo.

If the after effect of being in Ezio’s head was a worry, then Altaïr’s was probably fucking terrifying.

“Let’s go, lazy,” Shaun said, clicking his mouse one more time before taking off his sweater, leaving himself in his button down as he strode up the stairs, careful not to pull any wires. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Desmond was just staring at him blankly, almost as if he wasn’t there. Shaun felt a twinge in his chest and attempted to cover it up with his normal snark.

“Oi. Follow,” Shaun said in a clipped shout, snapping his fingers and pointing to the empty space beside him. Desmond moved almost too quickly to see, sprinting towards the little wall before the stairs and vaulting over them, landing gracefully beside Shaun with the blank look of a soldier expecting his next orders. His body was stiff and he looked at Shaun with those creepy, empty eyes, making the Brit shiver.

“R-right. Come on,” Shaun said a little quieter, glad to see some of that Desmond-light come back to those brown eyes as the younger man followed after him, stumbling on the steps in a way that lessened the worry weighing on Shaun’s shoulders.

Once they made it to the side of the villa where the village bled into the Auditore property, Shaun motioned out into the little village.

“We’re going to be playing a little bit of hide and seek/tag,” the Brit said with a smirk. “You give the chased a 20 second head start before you try and hunt them down. The only limit is we have to stay inside the walls of the village,” Shaun said, a little proud of himself for coming up with this off the top of his head.

“So if I find you, I have to tag you,” Desmond confirmed.

“Yes,” Shaun answered, “However, when you’re it, I’m not allowed to see you until you touch me,” Shaun said and Desmond smiled. Honest to god smiled. This training session actually sounded like a bit of fun.

“Sure. Flip for it?” Desmond said, fishing a coin out of his pocket. They called it and Desmond won, getting to be ‘it’ first. Shaun took off for his 20 second head start, sprinting through the streets of Monteriggioni. He wasn’t as good at climbing as Desmond but he was pretty fast and nearly silent as he sprinted over the cobblestone, nearly plastered against the buildings. He scanned the area, trying to see that flash of white and dark blue.

Shaun kept moving, knowing he’d be found almost instantly if he stayed in the one spot. He checked his watch, five minutes having passed without a single sign of the younger assassin. The, Brit rounded a corner, watching the rooftops since that was where he was most likely to atta-  
Shaun was pulled from the street into an alleyway and shoved against a wall, a warm body pressed against his back and hot breath fanning over his neck and ear. 

“ _I caught you_ ,” a deep voice spoke in smooth Italian. Shaun barely understood what was said from his basic Italian but the voice was very very familiar to him.

“Desmond? Since when do you...?” Shaun started but craning his neck, he looked at Desmond, only to see his eyes sparkling a light gold and a confused expression on his face. No, not Desmond.

“E-Ezio?” Shaun stammered, seeing the man smile before he pulled back enough to turn Shaun around, just to press against his body again, nuzzling against Shaun’s neck and placing light kisses to the skin there. Shaun tensed at the feeling of lips against his skin, more specifically, Desmond’s lips.

“Desm-...Ezio, w-what are you doing?” Shaun asked, trying to push the other man away. Desmond stared at Shaun in confusion before frowning.

“ _Stop joking, my love. You know it hurts me when you pull away, Leonardo,_ ” Ezio said, sounding a little hurt as he continued littering light kisses on Shaun’s neck and jaw. Shaun’s eyes widened, realising now exactly what was going on. This dumb little hunter/hunted exercise pulled Desmond back into Ezio’s mindset, letting the Italian assassin take over and now he seemed to think Shaun was Leonardo...his _lover_ , Leonardo.

“Come on, just snap out of it,” Shaun said, praying that Desmond would pull away with that dumb, confused puppy look on his face and apologise. Then they could go back to the villa and pretend Desmond hadn’t kissed Shaun’s skin like it was, by far, the most attractive thing in the world.

“ _Let’s go somewhere a little more private, my love,_ ” Desmond purred into Shaun’s neck, an arm slipping around the Brit’s waist, Desmond’s hand slipping underneath Shaun’s shirt and spreading over his lower back, bringing them close together so Shaun could practically feel Desmond’s heart beating in his chest.

“Come on, just come out of it. You’re Desmond, not Ezio,” Shaun pleaded, pulling back enough to cup Desmond’s cheeks and force him to look Shaun in the eye. “You’re not Ezio. Wake up, Des, please,” Shaun begged, staring into the other man’s brown eyes. Desmond frowned in confusion, blinking slowly, his gaze becoming unfocused for a moment before he looked back at Shaun, his hands still splayed over the Brit’s back and shoulder.

“Shaun?” Desmond said, still not sure what was happening or if what he was seeing was even real. “Sh-Shaun? Did it happen again?” the assassin asked hesitantly, knowing what the answer was anyway. 

“Yeah,” the historian replied quietly. Desmond realised where his hands were placed, flinching and pulling back so they were no longer touching. “Come on. We should get back to the villa,” Shaun mumbled, turning to make his way back just to be stopped by a firm hand around his wrist, pulling him back.

“Wait, just...” Desmond’s free hand curled around Shaun’s neck, bring Shaun close. The Brit’s face flushed, his eyes flickering down to Desmond’s lips for just a moment before looking into his eyes, unable to tear his gaze away. Desmond hesitated at the anxious expression on Shaun’s face, afraid that he didn’t want this. 

“It’s me. I-Is it okay if it's me?" Desmond asked, voice barely above a whisper but might as well have been a shout in the silence of the alleyway and with how close the two were to each other. Shaun remained silent for a moment, just feeling the warmth still encircling his wrist and the light puffs of air escaping Desmond's lips and fanning over his own.

"It's _only_ okay if it's you," Shaun replied, closing the gap between them, his unrestrained hand gripping the front of Desmond's grey hoodie, just needing something to hold onto, whether to remind himself that it was Desmond here with him or to remind Desmond of who he was, he didn't know. But when Desmond started to respond, the historian found himself unable to care, only able to focus on how Desmond kissed with his whole body, how he was being pushed back against the wall of the nearest building when the novice assassin finally took control and pinned him.

Once they finally separated, panting and flushed, Desmond hid his face in the crook of Shaun's neck, arms snaking around the red head and gripping onto him tightly. Shaun returned the almost desperate hug, brushing his lips over Desmond's temple, letting both of them catch their breaths.

"We should head back. You're exhausted. You need to get some rest," Shaun murmured to the young assassin and Desmond only responded with a quiet mumble of acknowledgement, raising his head but making no move to pull himself any further away from Shaun. 

"Can I...Can I sleep with you?" Desmond asked, hiding his face when Shaun spluttered and flushed in embarassment, trying to find a way to explain that they couldn't possibly progress to that stage when they've only just kissed for the first time-

"I meant just sleeping in the same area," Desmond mumbled into Shaun's shoulder and that stopped the Brit in his tracks. Shaun nodded and pushed Desmond back gently, keeping a hand on the novice assassin's lower back as he led him back to the villa.

"You didn't need to ask," the Brit said gently with a small smile as they walked. "But if you wake me up I'm drawing genitals on your face and taking you out grocery shopping," he joked.


End file.
